LALIGA
How will Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández replace injured midfielder Gavi?
The teenager tore his ACL in Spain’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Georgia and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Xavi Hernández is well aware there is only one Gavi. Speculation swirled during the summer the youngster would no longer be an automatic pick in midfield, which drew plenty of criticism for the Barcelona head coach, which only grew after he left the 19-year-old on the bench for the opening LaLiga game of the season away to Getafe. But before the horrific knee injury suffered on Sunday, he had started every other match of the campaign, apart from two he missed through suspension.
Gavi’s impact on Barcelona
Xavi will now be forced into having a serious rethink about how to set up his team, just when it seemed he had settled on the idea of playing a narrow midfield four, especially with the returns to fitness of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. Whatever happens, the former Barça captain will have to replace Gavi, an undisputed starter, one way or another. And the teenager’s boots are big ones to fill, with data showing he is one of the players who has the biggest impact on how the team performs.
Who could Barça sign in January?
A number of players have already been linked with the Catalans as potential reinforcements in January, including Giovanni Lo Celso, Thiago Alcántara, Dani Parejo, Guido Rodríguez, Fabián and Carlos Soler. As for the immediate future, it appears there are several ways in which Xavi can try to replace the irreplaceable.
Xavi’s options: Romeu, Fermín, Sergi Roberto, Raphinha...
Oriol Romeu could be given a run in a defensive midfield role, which would see the fit-again Pedri move into a more advanced position. The former Girona man and de Jong would form the “base” of the midfield, with the young Spaniard and Ilkay Gündogan in front of them. None of the four, however, are especially similar to Gavi.
Fermín López is the player whose characteristics resemble Gavi’s the most due to his dynamism and ability to play under pressure in defensive areas. But he is more attack-minded, direct and makes more runs into the penalty area, while not possessing the same positional awareness, tackling skills or ability to play using only one or two touches.
Club captain Sergi Roberto hasn’t played since 8 October because of a muscle injury but will soon be back at full fitness and is a dependable midfield option offering plenty of experience.
Raphinha offers Xavi a different alternative. A winger rather than a midfield, of course, but a player who can make a difference in games. While playing centrally may not be his most natural position, he has played in an inside-right role this season, changing the game in the comeback win over Celta and causing Sevilla and Sergio Ramos plenty of problems on the counterattack. Perhaps a Gavi-less Barça could do with the particular type of X factor the Brazilian offers.
Barça’s youth-team alternatives
Looking beyond the first-team roster, Marc Casadó (20) and Aleix Garrido (19) have already made their debuts under Xavi. Casadó, who featured in two Champions League matchdays squads, is more defensive-minded. Garrido, Gavi’s teammate in the youth team, made his first appearance with the first team last season in Elche and was an unsued substitute in the Champions League group stage victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Finally, 18-year-old Unai Hernández played for the first team shirt in a friendly against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo at the end of last season and has impressed with Barcelona Atlètic, the reserve team managed by former Mexico defender Rafa Márquez, scoring three goals and creating three more so far this season.